


Do Ut Des

by Ryuutchi



Category: Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Gen, Jealousy, Latin, Latino Character, M/M, Pre-Slash, Sparring
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-12-28
Updated: 2011-12-28
Packaged: 2017-10-28 07:27:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/305331
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ryuutchi/pseuds/Ryuutchi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nico shouldn't complain about the way Jason trains his troops.  Leo doesn't mind a few bruises, really.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Do Ut Des

**Author's Note:**

  * For [honeysucklesong](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=honeysucklesong).



> Originally written for the Percy Jackson exchange. Thanks to Comix for her beta, and J. C. McKeown for writing "A Cabinet of Roman Curiosities", from whence I derived the quotes used by Jason and Nico.

Their weapons came together with a deafening crash, and the shock of metal on metal jarred Leo's arms so badly that he could barely tell if his hands were still holding his sword. The second blow, which he barely managed to turn aside, let him know that he was still holding it – but also that he might not be for very much longer. He stumbled back, waving the spatha in his opponent's general direction as best he could. The third blow knocked Leo's sword into the dirt and sent him skidding on his ass. It was less a surprise than a relief that the fight was over. Leo tipped his head back to let his adversary's weapon descend towards his throat.

" _Caedi discentes, quamvis id receptum sit, minime velim_ ," someone else said behind them.

The gladius stopped, the tip barely leaving an indent in Leo's neck. Jason sheathed his sword and held out his hand to help Leo up.

"I wasn't flogging him," Jason said, pulling Leo to his feet with less effort than Leo might have used to pick up his armor's breast-plate alone. "I was training him."

Leo brushed the dust from his butt and rolled his shoulders. A few bruises made themselves known by their subdued aches. He glanced over his shoulder at Nico, who leaned against the ampitheatre's wall with studied insouciance after interrupting them, and lifted a hand in greeting.

"Do you have an opinion on that?" Nico asked, and examined his fingernails as though Leo's actual answer didn't interest him in the slightest.

Leo, having spent a not insignificant amount of time with bad boys of all stripes, recognized the pretense but since Nico seemed to be invested in looking and acting like an aloof proto-goth, he just went back to dusting his pants off.

"Opinion? Hell, I don't even know what you just said. For all I know that was some Roman-talk for 'you done kicked his ass good, boy'." He moved to retrieve his fallen spatha, but Jason had already gotten there and was offering it to him hilt-first. Leo accepted it and tried to make sheathing it look as cool as when Jason did the same thing. All he managed was to get the tip caught a little. Leo was starting to think that he was never going to look as cool as Jason.

"Close." Jason pointlessly smoothed down the muscled breast-plate of his armor before dropping his hands and toying with the dangling leather skirt thoughtlessly. "He told me that he didn't agree with me flogging you. Which I wasn't doing. It was just sparring." His lips pursed as he sent an irritated look at Nico over Leo's head.

The tension between Jason and Nico was palpable. Leo wondered whether he could cut through it with his spatha and decided that pulling the sword out would be way more trouble than it was worth. "Couldn't it be both?" he said. "I mean, you were kicking my ass pretty hard. I'm going to have some pretty impressive purple marks tomorrow."

Jason stepped back as though he'd been hit, shoulders tensing. He looked down at his Greek armor and adjusted it again. "I wasn't trying to hurt you," he said, and Leo's stomach twisted at the injured tone in his voice. "I just. I wanted--" He stopped and shrugged.

"Maybe this was a bad idea. Maybe you don't need to fight, you can hide behind your inventions and your fire, and it won't matter that your sword-fighting is sub-par."

"Hey!" Leo's guilt evaporated immediately. "My sword-fighting is not sub-par. It is, at the very least, inadequate." He tried for a glare, but Jason still looked upset so Leo could only manage a half-hearted pout.

Nico laughed behind him, a sweet giggle that Leo would have appreciated at any other time. The sound obviously needled Jason, though, because he drew himself up to his full height, and in several long strides was in Nico's face, pinning him back against the arena wall.

"Don't you laugh, son of Pluto," he said, and the palm of his hand impacted the wall to the left of Nico's head, broad and tan and threatening. "You were the one who came here to tell us that Reyna needs our help, that my soldiers need our help, that there are a dozen giants to kill, and that this is war. _Bellum, hoc est minime bellum_ , Nico. Don't you laugh when I'm trying to train my soldiers-- my friends to keep them from becoming the first casualties." He paused for breath, and even from behind Leo could see that his shoulders were shaking.

In the silent space left by Jason's words, even Nico didn't seem to be able to come up with something to say. He raised his hands, and Jason stepped back as though the slender black-clad arms were weapons. Nico opened his mouth as though to speak, but instead just shook his head, shrugged and stuck his hands in his pockets. After a long moment he sighed and ran a hand through his hair, re-tousling dark hair that was already perfectly wind-swept. "I wasn't doubting your skill or your intentions, Praetor. I'll see you on the battlefield." He hunched his shoulders and stepped towards the exit, never taking his gaze from Jason.

Leo pulled his spatha again and imagined he could feel the tension pressing against the blade. He reached out with his free hand and grabbed Jason's bicep. "Come on, man. I can take a beating if it's for my own good. But I don't promise not to whine about the bruises later."

With one final look at Nico, Jason turned towards Leo and nodded.

**Author's Note:**

> Translation Notes:  
>  _Do ut des_ ; I give that you might give  
>  _Caedi discentes, quamvis id receptum sit, minime velim_ ; Although it is usual to flog pupils, I really do not approve the practice. (Quintilian, Education of the Orator)  
>  _Bellum, hoc est minime bellum_ ; War, that is to say not at all nice. (Donatus, Grammar)


End file.
